Never Simple, Never Easy
by Olive Tree Hugger
Summary: Raimundo was the only thing she knew, like the back of her hand. /raikim/


**This is the 3rd time I posted this one shot. I previously had a story called "No Way I Can Title This" and it was all song inspired one shots. I deleted it, and left this a free standing fic. Tell me what you think!**

* * *

Her blue eyes scanned the courtyard of the Temple. She didn't want to see the young man walking away. She refused to look him in the eye when he turned back to wave. She felt her heart break slowly.

But she succumbed. She met his eyes and waved back as calmly as she could. His green eyes read sadness despite the shy smile on his face.

"Can't believe we're really leavin'," Clay murmured, head drooped.

Omi crossed his arms. "Yes, today is a sad day," he rejoined.

Kimiko only nodded and watched Raimundo walk outside the gates.

Today was their final day as monks of the Xiaolin Temple. Master Fung graduated them all to Shoku warrior status, and then allowed them to choose their own paths to follow.

Clay would head home to Texas and start a martial arts dojo for kids. Kimiko was going to take over the family business in Tokyo, Omi would take over Master Fung's position, and Raimundo...

Raimundo said he was going soul searching. He grew up in a family circus of martial arts performers, but was raised strictly Catholic. His time at the Xiaolin Temple quickly made him rethink his religious upbringing, knowing the truth in this world was not simply in a Bible.

He and Kimiko had a very short-lived romance in their time at the Temple. It wasn't sexual, but it was intimate. They fell very hard for each other. The two dragons stayed up al night with each other, just talking and growing closer with every giggle and whisper. It ended abruptly when Raimundo claimed the whirlwind relationship wasn't working for him.

Kimiko smiled through her tears and replied, "Redundant use of words, Dragon of Wind."

Kimiko and Raimundo had come to the Temple at the same time. Kimiko, the tech-savvy Japanese girl and Raimundo the flamboyant prankster from Brazil. He was only two years older than her, about fourteen. They were rivals at first, trying to outdo each other in training, pranks, and gaming.

But five years later, they were best friends and past lovers. Kimiko found herself spilling all of her secrets to him. Raimundo confided in her all of his deepest fantasies, desires, and dreams. For the longest time, Kimiko felt like they were soul mates.

So painfully wrong was she.

The trio sighed in unison as the taxi drove away. They all stood quietly, somberly, until Clay suggested, "How 'bout we all go inside and enjoy one last bowl'a popcorn together? Y'know, till the next ride comes."

Omi nodded silently and followed Clay into the hall. Kimiko rubbed her hands over her thin arms and held back her tears.

Raimundo begged them not to try and contact him. He wanted to be alone, to go, as he claimed, "where the winds take me."

Many a night before tonight, she despaired over the thought. Never speak to Raimundo again? How could she? Would he try to call her up one day? Would he forget about her?

The moments she spent with Clay and Omi over their last shared bowl of popcorn was a sweet, nostalgic time.

The trio brought up all the good times they had together, like when they traveled to the future and almost got themselves killed, or when they snuck into Chase Young's castle and almost got themselves killed, or when they saved the world from ancient spiders and almost got themselves killed.

They all just wished Raimundo was there to reminisce with them.

At the memory of Jack being pantsed by Rai, the trio laughed til they cried. And cried. And cried.

Clay was the next one to go. The large, heavy man enveloped the two smaller warriors in the tightest hug he'd ever given.

He gave Kimiko a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Take care, lil' lady." He shook Omi's hand and patted his bald head, then turned and trudged away.

Kimiko watched the big Texan walk out of their lives.

And then there were two. Omi suggested they spar one more time, for old time's sake.

Kimiko readily agreed. Sparring it out would help clear her head.

The Dragons of Water and Fire enjoyed one more crazy fight, Kimiko whipping fireballs at him and Omi drenching her with waterfalls. They shouted nicknames at each other, quipping back and forth. Kimiko laughed when Omi botched up a well-known phrase.

Then Dojo slithered between them and wiped his eyes, saying,

"Kimiko."

Omi walked her to the gates of the courtyard and wrapped his arms around her. She let a few tears fall and kissed his cheek. They held each other for a few moments before the taxi driver hit the car horn.

"Break a leg in the real world, my fiery friend," Omi sighed, pulling away. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks.

Kimiko let out a hiccup, choking sound of a gasp. She tried hard not to sob, "Oh, Omi...you finally got one right."

He leaned over and gave her a friendly kiss on her lips.

She couldn't help it. She started bawling.

* * *

The young woman fell asleep on her way home. She had the most agonizingly tired flight; she kept thinking of what her fellow dragons were up to, in their short time out of the Temple.

She counted the hours they'd been gone. Approximately twelve hours.

She looked around, being in Tokyo after so long felt strange. It didn't feel like home, it didn't feel like she'd ever lived here at all.

The Temple felt like home.

Raimundo was home.

Her stomach turned in anxiety as her taxi pulled up to the complex her father built, the technological genius, Hojo Tohomiko.

There he was. The older male sat; bent over in his wheelchair, his eyes swollen shut, he was hooked up to an oxygen tank.

She stepped out and felt her heart drop. Her father wasn't exaggerating on the phone, at all. He really was wasting away.

"Papa," she acknowledged, hugging him tightly.

The old man chuckled, his voice raspy. "My Kimiko, oh darling, you've grown so much."

Kimiko pulled back and said quietly, "I'm sorry I hated you for sending me away. I loved the Temple, Papa."

* * *

Raimundo felt the breeze caress his face and he smiled broadly as he fell into the valley. Just as he was about to smash into the ground, he exerted another gust which propelled him another fifty feet up into the air.

He screeched with glee as he continued his little "wind bounce" game in Death Valley.

He was in the States now, a little far from home, but he wanted to travel.

He wanted to try different, things, eat different foods, he wanted badly to become cultured.

He didn't want any strings attached. He cut off all contact with his friends from the Temple. He loved them all so much, but after five years of seeing their faces every day, he realized that being a lone wolf was an awesome alternative.

He didn't like remembering Kimiko's broken face when he broke up with her. He loved Kimiko with every fiber of his being, but this day was imminent and maybe once they both settled down and found their paths they could be together again.

He spent a week in Morocco, buying all sorts of "thawbs" and jewelry, learning to speak romantic phrases in Arabic and French. He spent his nights in a shared apartment with a Moroccan family. The evening smelled like smoked fruit and musk. It was truly an Arabian night, all he needed was the hint of Orient...

Kimiko.

He didn't know why he was still thinking of her.

She was probably enjoying herself as the new head of Tohomiko Inc.

He spent another few days in Spain. The beautiful, full-lipped Latin women were still nothing compared to the pale, geisha-like maidens he'd seen in Japan.

He remembered the day he invited his friends to Rio to fish, and Kimiko caught a huge coconut crab. She shrieked and clung to Raimundo's sunburned back. He laughed through the sting and kissed her cheek.

The mountainous areas of China were some of the most serene, ever. He stood on the plush green coating the hill. He looked over the scene and wondered how glorious the uninhabited areas of the world were; left completely alone. Industrializing anything was ruining its beauty.

But he felt like he'd ruined Kimiko when he decided to leave her alone.

He decided to try something. He inhaled deeply, and slowly pulled his arms back.

In his time at the Temple, he'd learned to hone his ability to send strong winds everywhere.

It was a long shot but he hoped his breeze would reach Kimiko. Just as long as she was outside.

Exerting all the energy he had, focusing as much as he possibly could, he thrust his arms forward and shouted,

"I MISS YOU KIMIKO!"

He felt the vibrations of his voice carry with the wind he formed.

He sighed and prayed to every deity he could think of. "Let Kimiko hear me."

* * *

Kimiko wiped away a few tears, sitting on the wide balcony of her complex. She was alone now. Her father passed away last night in his sleep.

She had a big business to run and no mentor to help her. Her friends Keikyo and Siri were in college and busy with their own lives. Months passed since she left the Temple. She doubted any of her boys were free to see her.

Here she was, the head of a corporate empire and filthy rich...but she was so lonely and heartbroken.

The sun was almost completely set, the sky was a dark blue, tinged with the slightest hint of pink.

She felt warm winds come her way. She held her breath and sat back in her arm chair, enjoying the peaceful calm the wind brought over her.

Suddenly she heard something. It was like a whisper in her ear, in her heart. It was a familiar, soft voice.

"I miss you, Kimiko."

Her heart didn't feel so heavy, anymore. She felt...inspired.

* * *

Kimiko was now in her bedroom, on her laptop, perfecting the graphics of a new game she'd been designing for over a year now.

The main characters were a slim, black haired girl, a tall boy with a cowboy hat, a short little boy with a humongous head, and of course, a tanned boy with brown hair.

They were all wearing red shirts, and white pants (except for the boy with the big head- he wore black pants).

The quad would travel all over the globe and collect special objects called Shen Gong Wu, with magical powers. The more they collected, the more difficult the game became.

They had to defeat a number of villains; a goth boy with evil robots, an angry bear man with gangster goons, an evil mermaid with the power to morph into a dangerous sea monster, and big blue dragon that could freeze its opponents if they attacked him directly.

There were three major bosses.

The first being a red haired witch. She would start out as a ghost, who would then materialize into a human and unleash her rock minions. She was the easiest to beat, but still tougher than the lowlier villains.

Then came the dragon lord. He started out as a human warlock, in armor. He was very powerful, with an army of hungry jungle cats. But the game would be a nightmare once he transformed into his draconian form. It would take all of your magical objects to defeat him.

Lastly, was the giant magical legume. He was the toughest of all, and required two players to beat. It took a tag team of eight, including the two previous bosses and some of the villains, to beat the game.

The game would end with the brown haired boy's clothing transforming into a black robe, and the original quad would run towards the screen and just as they attack, the credits would start.

Kimiko smiled at her computer screen, reminiscing. You just couldn't make this stuff up.

It was early morning in Rio De Janeiro, Raimundo sauntered through the streets solemnly. He was feeling uplifted lately. Things were going so well. The single, quiet life he wanted to lead left him with a sense of inner peace.

The only thing he still wondered about was whether his little wind trick worked. Did she ever get his message?

He passed by an electronics store and noticed a long line forming in front of it.

He whistled at how long it went, it curled into a whole other block!

He approached a little boy standing in front.

"What's going on, here?" He asked.

The boy answered excitedly, "The new game 'Shen Gong You' is out!"

Raimundo's eyebrows shot up at the sound of the familiar name. He wondered out loud, "Where is this game from?"

The boy answered, "Japan!"

At the risk of sounding immature, Raimundo breathed, "No WAY!"

Suddenly the doors of the store opened and everyone piled in like a bull run.

Raimundo, using his wind powers, easily flitted through the air above the crazed crowd, and whisked a copy of the game from the gamer rack.

He hid in the back room to escape the fiasco outside.

He ran his hand over the plastic cover and smiled through his tears.

There they were, all four of them; Omi sitting on Dojo's neck, looking excited, Raimundo and Kimiko sitting next to each other with their mouths wide open in glee, and poor Clay was clinging to the dragon's tail as Dojo soared through the sky.

The name "Shen Gong You!" was scribbled in bubble letters across the top.

He flipped onto the other side and looked at the bottom of the package.

There it was, "Developed and designed by Kimiko Tokomiko."

Raimundo let out a soft sob, covering his mouth at the risk of someone hearing. He pressed his back to the wall of the room and slid to the floor. He kissed the package and held it against his chest. He just couldn't stop crying.

* * *

The game was a huge success, raving critical acclaim and the best reviews from all over the globe.

Clay called Kimiko up one day; he started out sniffling about how much he loved the game, before he started sobbing his big heart out.

Kimiko cried with him.

Even Omi sent her a letter, saying that through his contact with their friend Jermaine, he heard of the game and he told her how proud he was of her.

She didn't talk to Raimundo, though. When he was ready, they would speak.

She never knew if she'd see him again. She didn't try to contact him for fear that he may never answer.

But she apologized to him in her head every day. She would look at the game poster in stores and run her hand over his face and smile gently at their memories.

Raimundo decided to finally see her, years later.

He booked a one way ticket to Tokyo, and practically flew from the airport straight to the main Tohomiko Inc. building.

He went all the way up to her office, pounded on the door and stomped right in.

There she was, sitting in front of a computer, working. Her hair was in its natural color and length. She stopped immaturely dyeing and cutting it.

She was dressed as a dignified business woman; stockings, blazer and high heels.

He watched her face cautiously. She stared at him, confused for a few moments, before screaming,

"Rai!"

She shot up from her leather chair and approached him, practically running to his side.

"Raimundo...what are you doing here?" She asked, hopeful yet confused.

Raimundo decided now was the time, he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. He kissed and kissed and kissed her.

Then he spun her, and hugged her as tightly as he could.

He opened his mouth and whispered,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."


End file.
